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Genes Reunited web chat, where you can get help and advice from our resident genealogist and expert family historian, Anthony Adolph.
To find out more about Anthony click here.
Thanks again to Anthony and everyone who joined in on the sessions so far.
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Questions already answered
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| Lucia Wallbank | 17/02/2004 21:05:40 |
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Hello Anthony, Do you know anything about the origins of the surname Gorbold? |
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This is a good, distinctive name which should be a joy to trace. It has a Suffolk sound to it but in fact the earliest reference I have to hand is William Gorebald in Cambridgeshire (next to Suffolk) in 1273. It means 'son of Gerbold', which is an unusual but certainly verifiable personal name of Saxon origin. Garbutt is the more usual variant of the name. |
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| Lucia Wallbank | 17/02/2004 21:21:28 |
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Hello Anthony, I have another question. My ggrandfather, Richard Mellon was illegitimate and on his marriage certificate it states his mother, Isabella Mackintosh as deceased, when she clearly isn't as my grandmother remembers her, she is also shown as married to my gggrandfather Richard Mellon, and they never married. Is it possible that he lied about his parents? |
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Yes. You should always have very good reason for disbelieving what it says on a marriage certicate (or any record) but in your case it sounds as if you have very good reason indeed. Your poor grandfather probably simply wanted to avoid the embarassment- as it was then- of saying he was illegitimate. Had he done so his bride may have been whisked back up the aisle by her outraged parents! |
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| Lucia Wallbank | 18/01/2005 21:07:47 |
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Hi Anthony, I have been trying to find out who my great grandfather's father is. His marriage certificate states that his father was Richard Mellon, a seaman, which I find interesting because family rumour has it that Richard's father was a German sailor. I have managed to trace Richard on the census living with his sister Nora, who was two days old at the time and his mother, Isabella Mackintosh.His birth place is stated as England, but I find this remarkably vague so I think this was to hide his illegitimacy. I am certain that he didn't have a birth certificate and his sister didn't have one either. I doubt the information about his father on the marriage certificate as he lied about his mother. Where could I look to find out more about his father? Thank you very much for your help, Lucia |
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Seamens' records are at the National Archives, Kew: I would suggest looking there first. |
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| Patricia Wall | 19/08/2008 21:06:39 |
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Hello Anthony, We have actually "met" before, when you tracked down my Irish Grandfather, to Cork. My question this evening also concerns him. I had failed to locate his death, until I pitched my search further back in time than I thought it would be. I found him, Timorth Carroll, died in the Middlesbrough Workhouse hospital, in 1916. The thing that puzzles me is they have his age as 63, when he was actually only 45. Could there be a reason for such a large descrepancy, such as would he need to be over a certain age to receive admittance to the workhouse hospital, or to obtain other benefits. I can't seem to access the workhpuse web site, and know nothing about these institutions. I was actually surprised they were still operation in 1916. Your comments would be mosr welcome, Pat Jones |
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Workhouse kept going until replaced by the National Health Service, and indeed in the later years their hospitals filled very much the same role. This is the best site for workhouse information: http://www.institutions.org.uk/index.html. As to ages: the age discrepancy is so big that maybe you have found a different generation of the same family – but, if this is the right man, ages could be dramatically wrong – poor, ill Irish labourers were not well known for giving accurate information about their ages and origins. |
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| Kim Walker | 14/11/2006 22:05:25 |
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Hi Anthony, Simon Roach 1765-1861 born in foriegn parts and his son in law Alexander Clark 1803-1861 born in Jamaica lived and worked as sailors in bristol. one or both were black or mixed race as the colour came down the line from Alexanders daughter Julia . my grandfather had dark features. What I would like to ask is, are there records of sailors and ships 1n the early 1800. if yes would they state the colour or ethnic backgrounds of the crew. many thanks Kim |
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Yes, and no. Royal and Merchant Navy records are at the National Archives and, though hard to use, would probably repay your searching them at this stage. They could both have been mixed race - most families who spent any length of time in the Caribbean picked up some African blood. There is a section in my book (Tracing your Family History, Collins, 2005) all about looking into this sort of thing - and, though the options for which lines you can test are limited, you could have a think about DNA testing too - the subject of another chapter of the same book. |
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| Shirley Walker | 23/03/2004 21:01:52 |
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Hi Anthony, managed to get back to 1770c, but now have a"JOHN WEATHERALD ON I.G.I BORN ABOUT 1770 MANCHESTER, how do i get beyond this no other data, his marriage was Manchester Cathedral 1802 for his wife it only7 gives another approx birth on I.G.I Many thanks Shirley |
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'about' on the IGI means the entry was entered on the IGI by someone who didn't have the foggiest clue where the person came from. Disregard the entry entirely. There were many thousands of marriages at Manchester Cathedral every year, for people from all over that great city. To work out John's age and place of origin it may be sensible to rty to find his burial or death (after 1837), or hope he survived to the 1841 ir even 1851 census. In other words, to go back with certainty, you may need to come forwards a little first. I am afraid you may have |
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| Sharron Walker | 20/01/2004 20:56:59 |
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Anthony My father was born out of wedlock in 1938. His mother was 24 at the time and was placed in a home straight after having my father (where she died age 75 in 1990) my father was also put in a home then fostered age 10 by a Vicar. My father doesn't know much about his early life or if there was any papers about his foster, because everything was so hushed up. Where would I go to try and find out if there were any document about my father? thank you Sharrron |
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you could see if the place where your father was fostered has any records, or ask the adoption/social servcies sectio of your local social services. I feel there may be more I could find out to help you, so please come back to the next session next month, or else contact me direct, and I will try to find out more. |
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| Sharron Walker | 21/10/2003 21:38:20 |
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Hi it's me again. I've just been on the online1837 and order my g.grandmothers birth cert',she was entered as Florence Walker Ridley 28 july 1895 Penrith, but on my grandmother and her sister birth certs' Florence has put mother-Florence Ida Walker??? I have also tried different ages for Florence on the 1901 census and the same person from Lumplugh keeps coming up. Florence was 7 with her parents Robert Ridley 39 and Fanny Ridley 31. I guess Fanny may have been called Walker and kept her maiden name. Robert and Fanny also appear on the 1891 census but without child. This family tree stuff is very confussing ha. Thank you for your help |
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Well done- research going on live! I think that's a first. I am afraid I don't quite follow your second and third lines- are we dealing with just one Florence here? If you have just ordered Florence's birth record then you will soon have the certificate and know if the mother Fanny was born a Walker and I hope that will lead to some clarity. Do send me copies of the documents (by post), if you want, and I'll have a good look at them and see if I can say anything more intelligent. |
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| Sharron Walker | 21/10/2003 20:58:23 |
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Hi I always thought that my maiden was Walker untill i received my g.grandmothers death cert' and found out that her maiden name was Ridley (florence Walker Ridley). She had 2 children out of wedlock one being my nan Hilda Walker, I also have their birth certs', but why would she give her 2 children her middle name Walker and not Ridley. And the only Florence Ridley I can find on the 1901 census was born in Cumberland/lumplugh and not Penrith which was on her death cert'and on the online1837 and FBM as Penrith? Do you think this is the same person? thank you Sharron Knight |
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Illegitimacy always causes genealogists problems- and makes for interesting cases too. A possibility to look into here is that Florence may have had some close Walker relatives- maybe maternal grandparents or maternal uncles called Walker; maybe the Walkers adopted Florence's children and brought them up as their own- often, the mother's parents would pretend their daughter's illegitimate children were younger children of theirs. in this case maybe it was the great grandparents (stretching the age difference a bit, but you take my point). Places of death on death certificates are never likely to be that accurate- how would anyone know for sure? Therefore the possible entry you have found in 1901 definitely sounds worth checking out. |
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| Martin Waldron | 25/05/2011 21:06:41 |
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My grandfather had a second 'wife'. I can find no record of a marriage in the UK and colonies, having checked the usual on line databases. It is just possible they may have married in Europe if that were a simple matter in the 20's and 30's, but is very unlikely they would have strayed beyond Europe. They obtained a joint UK passport in 1945 when they emigrated to Australia, but the Passport Office have assured me they would need a marriage certificate to get this. Have you any ideas how I might resolve this paradox. I would love to know if they were married bigamously. Many thanks, Martin |
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Bear in mind that, inn the British Isles, different General Registration systems exist for Scotland, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Southern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the different Channel Islands. If they actually did marry in Europe, you could try our British Consular Marriages and the other 'Overseas' marriages, to which you can gain access under the 'search records' label here. Failing all that, you could try newspaper announcements, in their local paper, though admittedly that would be difficult without knowing when the event took place. |
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| Esme Wakefield | 21/02/2012 21:28:38 |
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Thank you for your reply. Yes, Essex Lleweln Pullinger is his correct name. As you suggested I have already tried the alternatives and drew a blank. Once again thanks for your reply. |
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How bizarre. It is such an odd name that it may have confused the registrars and their clerks - perhaps you should try under plain Lleweln Pullinger, or Lleweln Pullinger Essex. Come on, all you who are reading this - someone must have heard of this unusually-named chap! |
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| Esme Wakefield | 21/02/2012 21:09:46 |
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Good Evening Essex Llewelyn Pullinger _ I have been unable to find a civil registration for this person. Have found the following info. Christenin - Walthamstow 25 Feb 1880 Marriage - 26 April 1906 Copy cert Marriage - 12 Dec. 1934 Original Cert Death - 24 Jan 1962 Original Cert Have also looked -Births at sea. Medal Roll Index WW1 - 2nd Leuit. Passenger Lists - Various entries Question - Could he have joined up with a birth cert.? Have you any suggestions where I could look to find his civil registration. Thank you |
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Are you saying your ancestor was called "Essex Llewelyn Pullinger"? What an extraordinary name! Besides the places you have looked already, have you tried the army births? Many "lost" births are lurking there. Also, consider variant spellings - Pillenger, for example. |
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| Gloria Wainwright | 01/09/2009 21:05:01 |
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Hi Anthony. I have found the maarriage index on IGI for my gt.gt.gt.gt. grandparents. Wainwright and Harvey.The marriage took place in Kennington London 1831. I traced where the records were sent for storage but a clerk said that they do not have that year. Possibly because they were too badly damaged. I have tried a search on Boyd's but nothing there. Any suggestions please. I seem to have hit a brick wall. Thanks!! Gloria Lockyer |
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An odd circumstance, here: maybe the marriage was taken from the Bishop's Transcripts, or a transcript - you could see what the Society of Genealogists has. However, if for whatever reason the marriage entry cannot be checked in any more detail, you will not be missing out on a great deal, and could try to move on anyway: hopefully, this could will have survived until the 1851 census, so you could start seeking the baptisms anyway. |
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| rachel wainwright | 14/06/2011 21:29:38 |
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just to clarify, what other documents or records would show what children lived in the house and whether he was single or married, his age ect. thanks x |
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The electoral registers should give you enough clues to start making some intelligent searches in the General Registration records of births, deaths and marriages. ie, if a new character of the same surname suddenly appears, this may be a child suddenly reaching voting age. If the main character vanishes, this may indicate he had died. Once you get a hook, the rest should be fairly plain sailing. |
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| rachel wainwright | 14/06/2011 21:32:30 |
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thanks x |
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My pleasure! |
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| rachel wainwright | 14/06/2011 21:20:49 |
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hi general question here, how can i find information about previous occupants of my house who llived there in the twenties.i have the name of the head through my councils records but it doesnt show anything about him or his family living in the house.thanks! xx |
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I wrote a book called Tracing Family History, explaining how this could be done. Electoral registers list all those able to vote in each household, but really the best source for the era after the 1911 census is the memory and knowledge of the descendants of past inhabitants - they can be traced using normal genealogical records, or you may find they are already members of Genes Reunited. Such descendants may have all sorts of papers and memories, and of course family photos taken in what is now your home. |
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| Diane Waight | 28/09/2004 21:30:39 |
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I have an Antonio Tacchi born 1795 in my family he was born in Italy I think near Lake Como I would be most grateful if you could give me advice on how to find out more about him, like exactly where he was born and about his family etc. regards Diane |
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Italian records can go back a long, long way, and be very detailed. They are kept locally, in the villages, and for this period you'll be looking for parish registers and notaries' records (the equivalent of solicitors' records). For the Napoleonic period there was civil registration, for which you can enquire at the archives of the biggest local town. Surnames tended to be heavily localised to specific villages, so using telephone directories you may be able to hone your search down to a few villages. |
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| Simon Wade | 20/02/2007 20:53:08 |
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Hi Anthony Please can you help to explain this? In trying to find a record of my g-g-g-g grandfather whose name I believe to be Robert Clayton Wade (according to his son of the same name's marriage certificate in 1866), I discovered that a Robert Clayton married Maria Mitchell on 13 January 1834 at St Peter's church in Leeds. Later the same year on 26 July Robert Wade married Maria Mitchell at the same church. The 'Robert' part of the signature on both certificates looks the same, in both cases Maria marked her name as a cross, and Robert's profession is listed as cloth dresser. The vicar and witnesses are different on the two certificates. Subsequent generations (4 in total) use the name Clayton as a middle name with Wade as the surname for both male and female children. However, in the 1841 and 1851 censuses they appear to call themselves Clayton with no mention of Wade, and this only reappears in the 1871 census with Robert junior and his family. Can you shed any light on why they would play around with their names like this? |
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Theoretically, the same couple should not have married twice and you most certainly would not expect it to have happeend at the same church in the same year - this could be a coincidence, especially as cloth dressing was a very popular occupation in Leeds. You may have then been confused by this into finding references to two different Wade and Clayton families in later censuses - or maybe of course not. If your thesis is that these two couples were one and the same you should seek further evidence to support it, and do all you can to disprove the case too - by seeing if both couples appear in the 1841 census, for example. The most common cause for people using more than one name is illegitimacy - growing up under the mother's maiden name and later taking the surname of the father, or the step-father. |
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| Simon Wade | 14/06/2005 20:58:18 |
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Hi Anthony I previously contacted you to ask about how I could get more details on my great grandparents who I believe were married in Argentina in the 1880s. I know that my great grandfather was English but without details of his wife's maiden name can only suppose she was Argentinian. You suggested I try the consular records at 1837online but unfortunately this didn't turn up anything. The alternative was looking up announcements in the English family's local paper, but I'm not sure how to go about this. I think I have found my great grandfather's family in the 1861 census living on Queen's Road West in the parish of Pancras, borough of Marylebone, which gives me a potential location, but I don't have a marriage date for him later on. The only thing I can go on is the fact that his first child was born around 1887. Where would I look for the relevant (local?) newspaper and how would I search for the bit I am interested in if I find it? |
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Local newspapers are to be found in local archives, libraries and record offices, and there is an excellent, well catalogued collection atthe British Library Newspaper Library, Colindale Avenue, Colindale, London NW9 5HE, 0207 412 7353, British Library Newspaper Library www.bl.uk/collections/newspapers.html. The Times is fully indexed. Most aren't, though, so you may simply have to search through edition after edition - hard work, I'm afraid. Today we're getting used to things being indexed, but bear in mind that not so long ago practically any genealogical search entailed a longish slog through unindexed material. An alternative idea: look for aw many fam,ily wills as you can for relatives of your forebear from about the time he was likely to have married onwards, and see if they make reference to his wife. |
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| Simon Wade | 14/06/2005 21:02:16 |
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My great great grandfather ran a hosiers shop at 90 the Strand in London with his brothers and other relatives. I believe the business folded around 1905. Is there anywhere there would be a record of its history, the reason it failed or even just a name? |
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The business will be listed in trade directories. Partnerships and dissolved partnerships were announced in the London Gazette. The family is unlikely to have run the business as a company, but if they did (it's really unlikely) records of some defunct companies are kept on miscofiche by Companies' House (the Registrar of Companies, Companies House, Crown Way, Maindy, Cardiff, CF14 3UZ, 0870 33 33 636, http://ws6.companieshouse.gov.uk,). |
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